Brisbane lord mayoral hopeful Jonathan Sriranganathan’s Indigenous funding plan

Brisbane City Council would redirect $40m of ratepayers money every year to Indigenous organisations under a plan by maverick Greens lord mayoral hopeful Jonathan Sriranganathan.

Jonathan Sriranganathan at his campaign launch on Sunday. Picture: Richard Walker

Brisbane City Council would redirect $40m of ratepayers money every year to “pay the rent” for Indigenous organisations under a plan by maverick Greens lord mayoral hopeful Jonathan Sriranganathan.

Mr Sriranganathan on Sunday officially launched his bid for the city’s top job, vying for a Greenslide to end the LNP’s 20-year reign.

“I’m deeply concerned about how undemocratic our current council administration is,” Mr Sriranganathan said at his campaign launch at Musgrave Park.

“And I think we need to rebuild democracy from the bottom up.”

The mayoral election, to be held on March 16, will see Mr Sriranganathan take on LNP incumbent Adrian Schrinner and Labor’s Tracey Price, a Brisbane lawyer.

The Green have nominated candidates in all 26 wards.

“I think people are starting to recognise that the Greens are a serious alternative to Labor and the Liberals,” Mr Sriranganathan said.

“The Greens are running because we are interested in system change.”

Jonathan Sriranganathan at his campaign launch on Sunday. Picture: Richard Walker

The campaign launch began with an hour-long discussion with Indigenous leaders over Mr Sriranganathan’s plans for reconciliation, and he pledged a formal agreement with First Nations people, with 1 per cent of city revenue, or about $40 million, going to “no strings attached” grants to Indigenous-run organisations.

“I want to spread this idea of ‘paying the rent’ throughout my campaign,” he said.

Mr Sriranganathan – who lives on a houseboat on the Brisbane River – is making housing affordability his No. 1 priority, proposing initiatives to encourage better use of vacant land.

“We’ve announced some big proposals already, such as transforming Eagle Farm racetrack into 25ha of parkland and publicly owned housing,” he said.

“(And) a proposal to crack down on the conversion of residential homes into Airbnb investment properties.”

He also sees the importance of improved public transport, hoping to offer free buses from the city to suburban and Indigenous communities on the outskirts of Brisbane.

Mr Sriranganathan hopes that his campaign, centred around residential ownership of the city, was able to bring about meaningful change.

“Brisbane has so much potential, but right now, the city’s leadership is repeating the mistakes of the past and failing to prepare properly for future challenges,” he said.

“My commitment to the people of Brisbane is that I will be upfront about what I stand for.

“And I will take the time to listen to people.”